Dawn and Dusk
by Lolipopsy
Summary: After experiencing some changes in the Rift, the champions realize the world they know is subject to a dark and unknown threat.
1. At The End Of The Day

**At the End of the Day**

The sun was lower than usual on the Rift. Until then, all the matches had taken place in broad daylight, when the sun was at its highest point. Today, however, it was different: the setting sun was casting golden rays on the trees, coloring their leaves with fire. It was the first time the Fields of Justice looked this beautiful. Over time, all the champions had gotten used to the area, familiar with every tree and rock. In the fountain where they had just been teleported, Diana took a deep breath: even the air seemed different, purer and colder. The summoners had all gone crazy about the massive changes brought to the Fields of Justice, and it was the first time champions stepped in this new Rift. Despite their insistence, the champions had been turned away when they had asked about the new features, as it was supposed to be a surprise. The only thing they were sure about was that the general structure of the Rift was the same: two nexuses and three lanes. That was it.

Next to Diana, Taric and Shen stared at the sky with twinkling eyes.

"Enjoy the match!" Taric said before walking towards the bottom lane, followed by Xayah. Shen nodded at Diana and moved to his lane. As she left the fountain, the Scorn of the Moon turned to Lamb who hadn't moved.

"Together, we shall thrive and survive," Wolf growled before she could begin her sentence. "Go now. We do not need your help."

Turning a deaf ear to his rudeness, Diana headed down the path dividing the Rift in the middle. She enjoyed her walk, since the minions took a little while before appearing. The lanes were definitely narrower, and the thick forest around was glimmering with a blue glow: the trees were covered with translucent veins in which a deep blue sap ran. From the east, the sound of an enormous waterfall reached her ears. More than fighting, she wished to explore this whole new place. Unfortunately, it remained the League of Legends, and she had to do the same thing as in every match. Her opponent was Ekko, who was already there, near the... no: there were no turrets. Diana looked around to be sure she hadn't walked past it, but there was no stone structure. Ekko looked as confused as her. One of the main landmarks on the Rift were the turrets. How could they have been removed? Diana chased away these thoughts and focused on the young man. Ekko's allies were Jinx, Thresh, Shyvana and Fiora. After a moment of waiting, Diana realized something: there were no minions either. What was that? Were they just supposed to fight? She walked closer to Ekko who gave her a weird look, not knowing what to do. The ground suddenly shook beneath their feet, destabilizing them. A deafening crack echoed, and Diana watched, astonished, a tree grow behind Ekko, its branches intertwining in a graceful way.

"What the hell is this?" Ekko asked, as he had witnessed the same thing behind Diana.

"Probably the new turrets," the latter replied before frowning her eyes: the roots of the tree had moved to reveal an opening in the trunk. Five small creatures came out. They reached Ekko's waist and were as pale as the moon itself. Walking past the boy, they acted like regular minions, fighting with those who came from the tree behind Diana. They had a pale green-brown color. At least they were back to a normal situation. Diana nodded at Ekko and carefully swung her sword at the creatures, cutting them in half. Ekko suddenly dashed at her. She blocked the hit and summoned three orbs which struck the young man in the stomach. Rolling aside, he took a step back and froze at the sight of Kindred on his right. Lamb was heavily limping, dragging her bow behind her. She walked to Diana who wondered what was happening. Lamb completely ignored Ekko who remained suspicious. There was something wrong: although she hated doing it, she tried to reach her summoner. Dead silence.

"Can you reach your summoner?" she asked Lamb.

"There is something in the woods," Wolf spat, a glimpse of fear in his eyes.

Ekko came closer, his hands in the air to show he meant no harm, concerned about Wolf's words. How could anything frighten him and Lamb? They were the incarnation of death. He called is summoner in his head, but silence was his only answer.

"I can't contact my summoner either. Kindred, what are you talking about?"

"We were wandering down the river, which is now a ferocious stream, when something attacked, as swift and precise as the wind, disappearing each time we set our eyes on its location. There is more: this forest is cursed with numerous monsters. There is nothing we can do.

"Do you have any news of Shyvana?" Diana asked Ekko. "Kindred, you should go back to the base."

"We already tried, but the recall spell is broken."

Diana held the gem that allowed the champions to get back to the fountain in her hand: the stone had lost its color and was nothing more than a black pebble. Ekko turned around and said: "look at the minions and the turret. It's like they've been disabled."

The small creatures were lying on the ground, and the tree branches had started to fall off.

"All the magic holding this place together is disappearing," Lamb said.

"What if it's part of the change?" Ekko suggested.

"I'm pretty sure losing contact with our summoners is _not_ part of the change," Diana retorted. "Something must have gone wrong at the Institute. I believe we should find the others."

"I would not venture into the woods if I were you," Lamb said.

"We don't have a choice if we quickly want to get to the others," Ekko said. "Should we split up?"

"No," Diana said. "We'd better stay together. Who knows what's out there. Let's start with the toplane."

Ekko in the lead, they entered the forest, walking in a complete silence. The light dimmed, and they were soon surrounded by darkness. The only light came from the glowing trees. This place was of an extreme beauty, but according to Kindred, they had to remain on their guards. After a few minutes, Ekko raised a hand, stopping them. Footsteps hammering the ground were coming towards them. Diana tighten her grip on her sword, ready to strike. Lamb had drawn her bow, and Ekko's eyes were locked in the depths of the woods. A human shape appeared, sprinting in their direction. Ekko relaxed when he recognized Fiora who was running at full speed. She bumped into him and he caught her before she fell on the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"We have to leave, now. Something's not right here."

"Where's Shen?"

Fiora's eyes widened. "I think he's dead. We fought at the beginning of the match, and I killed him, but he never came back."

"Are you sure he's not on another lane?"

"His body is still over there," said replied, pointing at the direction she came from.

"What are you running from?" Wolf barked, startling Fiora.

"I couldn't recall, nor contact my summoner, so I deiced to meet Diana, but this... thing chased me. It's everywhere... calling my name, trying to pull me somewhere."

Ekko sword out loud "Dammit, we have to warn the others."

When they finally reached the bottom lane, Xayah and Jinx were there along with Shyvana.

"Where are Thresh and Taric?" Diana asked without any form of introduction.

Xayah's look darkened and she motioned her chin to her left. "Over there. They're dead, and I mean, really dead."

"What happened?" Ekko asked.

"It's all because of her," Xayah shouted, glaring at Jinx who replied with a provocative smirk. "After we killed Thresh, we noticed something was wrong: his body would remain there, and he never came back. Taric tried to convince Jinx to stop attacking, but she shot him in the face."

"He was way too close to me," Jinx said.

"Listen," Ekko said. "It is the same for Shen. Our summoners are unreachable, the turrets and minions are down, and the recall gems won't work anymore."

"Shyvana," Wolf started.

"Have you seen anything suspicious while you were roaming in the forest?" Lamb finished.

"Yes, I did. All the creatures here have been modified and replaced, but I did not try to fight them. These things are extremely dangerous, and unlike the previous ones, they are smart."

"How do you know?" Xayah asked.

"Because I can sense it."

"So what do we do?" Jinx asked, interrupting the conversation.

"We can't stay here," Shyvana said. "Maybe we should go back to one of our fountains. They're the safest place we can go, and since the turrets are down, I'm sure we can all go together."

Ekko glanced at Diana who nodded to show her agreement. Making sure to remain on the path, they headed towards Ekko's team fountain. The young man was walking in the lead, along with Shyvana. His mind was busy with unanswered questions, the most disturbing of which was how they were going to get out of there. He shot a quick look at the Half-Dragon who was quietly walking by his side, her eyes locked on the dirt path. Although he got along with almost everybody, he had never taken time to speak with Shyvana who, as many other champions, disappeared after each match. A little behind them, Xayah, Fiora and Jinx were chatting about the possible reasons behind this situation. Jinx was exasperating them both with her crazy theories. Diana was at the back, Wolf floating between her and Lamb. Diana was staring at the woods, wondering what other nightmares were living there.

"Lamb," Wolf snarled, "I'm hungry! We haven't chased anything today."

"Do not let this feeling consume your heart, dear Wolf," Lamb said. "I feel another lonely day might await us." She was still limping from the attack, and her loss of mobility concerned her more than she could ever admit. She then laid her eyes on Diana, and although she was looking at the forest, she didn't seem to see anything, her mind lost in her burning thoughts.

"What is troubling you, child?" Lamb asked her, drawing the Scorn of the Moon back to the reality.

"I was wondering: how did you not know Shen, Thresh and Taric died? After all, they were supposed to meet you and Wolf."

"We are drawn to fading spirits about to leave this earth. We should indeed have felt those of Thresh, Shen and Taric, but it never happened. When we were by Taric and Thresh, their bodies were empty."

"But how can this be?" Diana frowned.

"It is a mystery to us. Our own nature has been rattled, as a soul cannot leave before it meets us. We are the passageway for the soul to leave to body. Yet, something is different here."

"Is there any chance another...you exists?"

Wolf furiously barked "We are Kindred, the eternal and unique hunters of lives. Nothing but us has roamed the world since its creation."

"Until now," Lamb replied. "It feels like something has the ability to suck up one's soul and keep it as a toy, a mere puppet. It sounds familiar to what Thresh does with his lantern, but there is something more. Something I cannot explain. I felt a strange sensation, something I had never felt before."

"Did it try to take your soul?"

Wolf burst out into laughter and faced Diana who kept walking, staring at his cosmic eye. "We have no soul! This is why we feast on others'. You have much to learn about us, Diana."

"So do you about me," Diana aggressively spat before speeding up.

Once in the fountain, Xayah walked to Ekko and Shyvana while Jinx sat on the ground, fiddling with her pistol. "So, now what?" the Vastaya asked. "Coming here was a great plan, but I don't know how it'll get us out of here."

"Shyvana might have a plan," Ekko said. "If we destroy the nexus, it could trigger the teleportation spell, as it always does.

"You call that a plan?"

"If you have something better, tell us ma'am." Ekko barked.

Xayah sighed. Of course she had no other plan, but she hated to admit it. "We're gonna need something strong to destroy this nexus, since there are no minions."

"Hey, Jinx!" Ekko shouted, drawing the attention of the pink-eyed girl. "We need you to blow this thing off."

Jinx jump up her feet and grabbed her beloved Fishbone. "Always ready to help with that."

Shyvana's eyes turned red, and she transformed into a dragon. While she was tearing apart the nexus' structure with her sharp claws, Jinx waited for the core to appear, whispering to her weapon "It's as good as blowing people's hearts, boy."

Xayah shot her a weird look, but kept silent. When the blue gem was revealed, they all took a step back while Jinx aimed at it. A deafening explosion along with a powerful tremor shook the champions. The ground cracked under their feet and all of a sudden the earth opened into a dark chasm where they all fell.

 _ **NA: Hey guys. It's been a while, I know. I started writing this fiction a while ago, but never had the courage to publish it because I'm not sure how long I can keep it going. I have pretty solid storyline in mind. Reviews and comments are welcome.**_


	2. When The Moon Shall Rise

**When The Moon Shall Rise**

When Diana opened her eyes, her head was resting on large rocks covered with a thin layer of dust. She sat up and winced as a sharp pain burnt her shoulder. Trying to move it gently, she concluded it was only bruised from the impact. She suddenly remembered the terror that had taken over when the earth had split in two. How was she still alive, and where was she? Taking a look around, she saw the other champions lying near her, unconscious. She walked around to check on them. Jinx's head was bleeding, and Fiora's arm was twisted in an unnatural way. Not wanting to hear her moans of pain, Diana decided to wake up Shyvana and Ekko first, sure Xayah and Jinx would be annoyingly noisy. Shyvana was still in her dragon form, and the Lunari walked around her before softly tapping on her nose. No reaction. She hit harder "Hey, wake up!"

The dragon lift up her massive head before even opening her eyes. Steam was coming out of her nostrils, blowing back Diana's white hair. Shyvana looked at her, confused, but Diana was already at Ekko's side, pushing him with the tip of her boot. He slowly woke up and sat up.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"No idea. We all fell when the core was destroyed and we landed here. The others are alive."

The young man stood up, scanning the area with piercing eyes. They were surrounded by large flat rocks, spreading like a desert. The dust floating in he air was thick enough to stop the sun rays, and a breeze blew particles in their eyes.

"Where are Kindred?" Ekko asked.

Diana had totally forgotten about the Eternal Hunters. They were nowhere to be seen. "I don't know. Maybe they woke up before me and left. Who knows what goes through their minds."

"It's not like I'm gonna miss them," the young man replied. "This is the first time I see this place," he added. Despite his many trips in Valoran, he had never suspected such a place to exist. The only desert he knew was Shurima, and it looked nothing like this. By the corner of the eyes, he saw Diana walk towards Fiora and he winced at the sight of her arm. Turning to Shyvana, he wondered why she hadn't turned back to her human form. The dragon was stretching, laying her burning eyes on him.

"Everything okay?" he asked her.

She let our a roar powerful enough to wake up the dead, and her shape shifted. Back in her human form, she fell on her knees, out of breath. Ekko crouched by her side, worried: since when was it this exhausting for her to change? His thoughts were interrupted by Diana who was talking to Fiora.

"Don't move," she ordered. "Your arm is broken and I need to pull it back in position or it will never heal."

"Don't touch me," the Duelist spat, holding her arm against her chest.

"I'm just trying to help," Diana retorted on the same tone, "but if you want to stay like this forever, I'll just walk away."

"Let me help you out," Ekko said, reaching them. "Diana's right. Your bones won't be able to resolder if they remain like this."

Fiora shot the Lunari an angry look and sighed before nodding. Ekko glanced at her "I'll hold her. You seem to know more about this than me."

"You can always use your time rewind power if I happen to tear off her arm," Diana said while kneeling next to Fiora.

"It doesn't work like this, but I'll rewind if she hits me in the face and breaks my nose." He put his hands on Fiora's shoulders, firmly pinning her to the ground. Diana grabbed Fiora's broken arm. "Ready?" she said. Without waiting for an answer, she yanked on the Duelist's arm, twisting it so that the bones would get back in the right position. Fiora stifled the scream of pain that was about to pass her lips, and Ekko had to use all his strengths to stop her from getting up. Diana yanked one more time, drawing a cry from the wounded woman.

"Alright, you can let go," Diana said. "We need something to make a splint." Reaching for Fiora's cape, she tore a large piece of it and knotted the tips before passing it around the Duelist's neck and helping her up.

In the meantime, Xayah and Jinx had awoken because of Shyvana's scream.

"Where the hell are we?" Xayah asked when Ekko noticed the two of them.

"I think I hit my head," Jinx said, putting her hand on her temple.

"No shit," Xayah retorted. "What happened at the fountain? We destroyed the Nexus and the ground just...opened up."

"We have no clue of what happened," Ekko said. "Kindred are gone, but all of us here are alive and that's the most important."

"Say that to Taric," the Vastaya hissed.

"At least he's not stuck here with you," Jinx complained. She looked around, her brows furrowed. "Where's my minigun?"

Ekko noticed his sword on the ground where he had landed. Fiora and Diana's weapons were there as well as Fishbone.

"You left your gun against the wall when you destroyed the Nexus," he told Jinx. "It must have fallen somewhere else."

"Dammit," Jinx swore. "You know how much it cost me?"

Ekko kept silent, even though he suspected the cost of Jinx's weapons was about zero since she wasn't the type to pay for her purchases.

"You still have your cannon, so quit crying," Diana said, picking up her Moonlit Sword.

Shyvana joined them, a concerned look on her scaled face "I think I know where we are."

They all looked at her at the same time. "This place is called the Fyrone Flats. It's a desolated area spreading for hundreds of miles in the South-West of Runeterra. Only few people come here, and no civilization has ever grown. There are some tribes wandering these lands, but we can't expect any help from them. They are extremely aggressive towards foreigners."

"How do you know all that?" Ekko asked, but Diana cut him off.

"Tell us if we have any chance to get out of here, first. If we walk North-East, will we reach the border of this land?"

"Yes, we eventually will. There are no mountains here, only flat rocks, but the problem is not die before getting to the border. And even so, Shurima lies ahead, and we can't cross a desert just like this. Not without any form of equipment."

"What other options do we have?" Xayah asked the Half-Dragon

"Kumung's jungle is East from here, although I know nothing about this part of Runeterra. I know Bandle City and Yordle Land is beyond the mountains circling the East of Kumung. The third option is go West until we reach the sea, and then walk Northwards towards Demacia. This is shorter, but we will have to go through Urtistan and find a passage to cross the Great Barrier."

"Urtistan?" Ekko said. "Zilean once told me he used to live there. This place is cursed with the magic used to stop a war long ago. The other issue is that Vel'Koz and his fellows of the Void are said to wander around a place call the Clock Tower, and I'm not sure I want to disturb them."

"We won't if we manage to avoid this Clock Tower," Xayah commented. "Anyone knows where it is?"

A deep silence followed her question.

"So," Jinx started, "we have to choose between a desert, a jungle leading to Bandle City and a cursed land inhabited by creatures of the Void, leading to Demacia. I vote for the third one!"

"Me too," Diana said.

Shyvana said nothing, but nodded to show her agreement. Xayah and Fiora shrugged and the Vastaya shot Jinx a dark look "It's not like we're going to win this vote, so I'm in too."

"So am I," Fiora said, a bit deterrent.

"I have another question," Xhaya said. "How are we gonna find water and food here?"

"I have no idea," Shyvana replied, "but staying here won't help solve this issue. Let's go."

Because of the dust blocking the sun rays, it took them a while to find the West. They gathered their weapons and left, everyone walking on their own. No more than an hour later, the sky darkened and rain started to fall, chasing the dust away and allowing them to see a little further. Judging by the numerous puddles, rain must be a frequent phenomenon in the area, and it reassured them a bit: they wouldn't have to worry about the water. Food on the other hand would soon be problematic: they had seen no animals, nor birds, nor even insects so far. The rain stopped, leaving them soaked, but fresh. Walking at the back, Fiora worried about the nights here: they were probably pitch black and freezing cold, and they had nothing to cover themselves. Although she tried not to think about her wounded arm, the boredom of the landscapes soon drew her attention back to the burning pain. She cursed her situation a hundredth time: her broken arm was her sword arm. Sure she had learned how to fight with the left hand, but she was less comfortable. The golden light of the setting sun pierced through the dark clouds, casting her colossal shadow on the rocks. The air became colder with every passing minute. They eventually had to stop because of the thickening darkness. As they set camp, Diana looked up to the sky. The mark on her forehead was shining bright, filling her with the moon's power. The moon was enormous overhead in the sky that all clouds had deserted. Coming back to the others, she heard Jinx complaining "Why didn't we land in some warmer place like Ionia?"

"You've never been to Ionia," Xayah retorted.

"How can you tell?"

"Because I would have sensed your smell of gunpowder before you'd even reach the coast."

"I don't waste my time in fragrance," the Loose Cannon retorted, offended. "I'm hungry."

"Why don't you shut up?" Xayah cried out, exasperated.

"Why don't you lay some eggs for us to eat, Vastaya? Did Rakan empty all your stock?"

Before anyone could react, Xayah had jumped up her feet and dashed at Jinx, pinning her to the ground and holding a dagger to her throat. Jinx burst out into laughter while Ekko rushed at them.

"I'm hilarious, ain't I," Jinx laughed.

"Too bad there is nothing to eat in you but bones," Xayah hissed pressing her dagger on her skin.

"Xayah, stop!" Ekko commanded.

"Shut up, you. You're not in command here." the Vastaya spat.

"How about me?" Jinx asked smirked.

Xayah felt something pressing against her stomach. Looking down, she noticed it was Jinx's pistol.

"I'm so sick of you," Ekko barked, seizing Xayah's wrist and forcing her up. Jinx was about to say something when Shyvana pulled her back and put a hand on her mouth.

"We're stuck here together," Ekko said. "Why are you behaving like this? Do you actually want us to die?"

Xayah glanced at him while Jinx was obviously trying to hold back a laugh. Diana sat a bit further, observing the scene.

"Thanks for your help, Diana," Ekko told her, glaring at the Lunari.

"What? Those kids are not my responsibility, nor are they yours. If they want to kill each other, let them do it. They're not our problem."

The man let go of Xayah who walked away. "If you wanna fight, do it elsewhere," he said. He went away and sat, resting his chin on his knees. Diana was right: why did he care about Xayah and Jinx? He barely knew them. He sighed and let the gentle wind caress his face. He had been in trouble countless times before, but this was by far the worst: having no clue of where he was, or where he was going was something he hated. Fatigue eventually caught up to him, and he lay down to rest, hoping not to find any dead body when he'd wake up.

 _ **NA: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. I hope you're enjoying the story so far.**_


	3. In The Fading Decay

**In the Fading Decay**

The next day, their stomachs were all growling, and they spent a good part of their time trying to spot an animal they could hunt. It was Shyvana who eventually caught the scent of a rotting corpse.

"Maybe you can eat rotten meat," Jinx commented, "but it's not my cup of tea."

"If there is a carcass, perhaps there will be some scavengers, mainly when you see how rare food is here."

"Well, I guess it's worth a shot," Xayah said. "We don't really have anything to waste or lose."

"We'll waste time time!" Jinx cried out, glancing at Ekko with twinkling eyes. She cracked up at her own joke while the young man rolled his eyes to the sky in exasperation.

"I'll go with Shyvana," Xayah said. "You can stay here so we're not too numerous over there."

The others nodded and watched as Xayah and Shyvana walked away. The repulsive scent soon reached the Vastaya's nostrils. Her ears twisted towards the growling noises coming from further.

"There are at least three animals over there. I can't tell how big, though."

There was nowhere they could hide, and the only thing that would guarantee a kill would be their speed. Three figures appeared in their fields of vision. The creatures looked like dogs with pale and dirty fur. From what they could see, they were about three feet tall and did not seem very harmful.

"Let me handle this," Xayah said.

"You know it's our only chance to get food. Don't screw this up."

Xayah nodded and lunged forward at incredible speed. In no time, she had thrown a dozen of her feathers, hitting the three creatures. Their screams of agony died out when she called back the feathers, which spilled blood all over the ground. The action hadn't lasted more than a few seconds. Shyvana picked up the bodies, giving Xayah a look of approval. The young Vastaya smiled in return, and they walked back to the others.

"Didn't take you long," Ekko commented when he saw them. A wave of relief took over him, although he did not display it. They finally had food, and for several day. Shyvana cast a small fire in her palm and cooked the meat by holding it. It was a long process, but nonetheless necessary since they had no wood. When the first animal was well cooked and the smell twisted their stomachs, she looked at her hands with a wince: using her abilities had never harmed her, so why were her palms painful? It was the same when she had turned to a dragon in the fountain, and later when she had changed back: a sharp pain had spread through her whole body. Was her power failing her? This thoughts took away her appetite, and she forced herself to swallow the meat. After they finished their meal, they thought about a way to keep the rest of the meat fresh.

"We'd need ice," Xayah said," or salt."

"We'd need a summoner for the salt," Jinx laughed.

They had none of that, so they decided to carry it like this. It would at least be edible for them to have dinner at night. The rain began to fall again, beating on their faces. As dusk was approaching and their feet became heavy with fatigue, they decided to stop for the night. While Ekko, Fiora and Xayah were deeply sleeping, Diana lay wide awake, staring at the moon, wishing it could guide them out of there. A bit further, Shyvana was sitting in front of Jinx, playing with dust and lost in her thoughts. She noticed the Loose Cannon was cuddling up, shivering in the cold darkness.

"Do you dress like this even in Winter?" the Half-Dragon asked.

"It's always hot in Piltover and Zaun, and it's not that hard to get a jacket for free. Never thought I'd end up in this boring and freezing-cold place. You're never cold because you're a walking volcano. How lucky are you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Shyvana hissed.

"Why can't you take us on your back and fly like a zeppelin? You could carry us out of this freaking desert."

"Because I can't keep this form for long." Never would she tell Jinx about her transformation issues. "We'll get out of here," she added before lying on her side, turning her back to Jinx.

Three days later, they finally heard the sound of the crashing waves. Fortunately, Xayah could kill a few birds in the air with her feathers, which Jinx had obviously criticized as a 'family slaughter'. Nevertheless, it was thanks to the Vastaya they were not crawling on the ground with empty stomachs. The land in front of them seemed to stop suddenly. When they reached the edge, they all remained breathless: from the top of the gigantic cliff where they were standing, the ocean spread, its water shining in a pure blue color. Down below, the waves were loudly crashing on the wall before returning to the ocean. Sure, it was not the first time they saw a cliff, but never had they imagined that something _this_ big could ever exist.

"It reminds me of those legends according to which the world is flat," Fiora began. "If they were true, I'd say we're standing at the edge it."

"I wonder what lies beyond the ocean," Xayah said, her eyes locked on the horizon.

After resting for an hour, they followed the cliff Northwards. The sun slowly went down, painting the sky with golden and crimson strokes. The scenery was astonishingly beautiful. Little by little, the landscape started to change: it was more irregular, less flat, and a few bushes were desperately trying to survive, growing in the cracks between the rocks. The next day, they got to an abandoned town, half of whose buildings were destroyed and covered with a thick layer of dust. It was the first sign of human presence they saw since they had fallen. Walking through the empty streets, something caught Fiora's eye. She walked towards an old well and stopped dead at the sight of the upper part of a skeleton. The lower part was nowhere to be seen. Fiora ran a finger on the skull: only a little dust stuck to her skin. This person had been killed not so long ago. At least it was not a villager. Perhaps a traveler who got lost. She looked into the deep well, hoping there was still water inside. She threw a rock and heard a loud splash. She strode back to the group to inform them they could fill up their flasks here before carrying on. As they were resting by the well, Ekko noticed Xayah was nervously pacing up and down.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked her.

"I have a bad feeling about this place. I keep hearing things which don't seem to actually be here."

"What? What kind of things?"

"I don't know. It's like a heavy breathing, or scratches or the sound of something crawling."

Ekko glanced at the group, but none of them was listening.

"Why did you not tell anything?"

"Because I'm not even sure it's real, Ekko. Whenever I hear sounds, I can locate them easily, but here it's different. Sometimes it sounds close, sometimes it sounds distant. What if it's in my head? There's no need to alarm everybody."

Ekko reckoned she was right. If something was actually around, Shyvana would have sensed it. They set off and managed to cover a long distance before it was too dark to continue. Thanks to the branches and twigs, they could light a fire for the first time. It didn't warm a lot, but its light was enough to boost everyone's mood, including Jinx's.

A powerful tremor woke up Diana. She stood up at the same time as the others, wondering what was happening. Dawn was slowly rising, but the light was still low. Far away, the earth seemed to be blowing up, as if a giant boulder was tearing it apart. Diana's eyes widened when she realized it was moving in their direction.

"We have to go, now!" she yelled the others.

They started running at full speed. Jinx was by far the fastest, followed by Xayah. Glancing back ever other second, Diana's blood iced: this thing was far too quick for them to escape. Its shape became clearer as it got closer: it was a giant snake which was moving half-underground. Only the upper part of its long body, including its glimmering blue eyes, was visible. Diana set her eyes ahead before realizing someone was missing. She looked back once more, and saw Fiora lingering behind, trying to run as fast as possible despite her broken arm. Diana cursed and slowed down to help her, pushing her forward.

"Come on!" she said.

Further ahead, Shyvana slowed down her pace before completely stopping. Jinx violently bumped into her back, but the Half-Dragon didn't flinch

"What the flying hell are you doing?" Jinx cried out while Ekko and Xayah stopped near them.

"There is no point in running," Shyvana said. "This thing is way too fast for us, and we have nowhere to hide."

"So you wanna fight it?" Ekko asked.

"I'm in!" Jinx yelled before turning around to Diana and Fiora. "Stop running guys, we're gonna turn this monster to ashes!"

Diana and Fiora reached them a few seconds later, trying to catch their breath.

"Can't be worse than Baron Nashor," Xayah said.

"We're not on the Rift," Fiora replied. "If you die here, it's for good."

"Let's spread around and see who this thing will target. If we attack it from different sides, we have a chance to defeat it."

"I don't think it can put its head completely underground," Diana added. "Aim for its eyes."

They scattered and formed a half-circle. They patiently waited for the snake to come closer. The beast suddenly stopped a hundred yards away from them. They could now clearly see what they were about to fight: the creature was about the size of a human in height and at least twenty feet long. It didn't seem to have limbs, so how was it able to crawl half-underground? The ground shook as the snake dashed to its left, towards Fiora. She dodged the hit by jumping aside. The snake's mouth was filled with razor-sharped teeth as long as her forearm. Next to her, Ekko didn't wait to strike: darting at the monster, he swung his sword at its jaws. The impact almost broke his arm: its skin was too tough to be pierced. The snake didn't even notice him and kept attacking the Duelist who was only kept alive by her agility and reflexes. Xayah and Diana attacked simultaneously: the Vastaya threw her feathers while Diana used the power of her sword to cast a crescent of light in the eyes of the creature. Blinded by these assaults, its body started convulsing, and the ground cracked beneath them. Stupefied, Ekko saw rocky pikes come from the ground before flying towards the champions like spears. Where could that come from? He suddenly realized that, since the snake had no members, the only way it could tear the earth apart and move like it did was by manipulating the earth itself. He ran towards the blinded beast which could apparently know their location despite its injured eyes. In front of him, the spears rushed towards Xayah who jumped in the air to dodge.

"Watch out!" Shyvana shouted at him. By the corner of the eye, he saw the tail of the snake come out of the ground and move to hit him. Ekko dived roll over and continue his run. If even with blind eyes the monster kept fighting, they would have to kill it.

"Use your dragon form," he told Shyvana when he reached her side. "I have a plan."

She took a deep breath, ready to face the incoming pain and let her fury take over. As soon as the transformation began she let out a roar: she felt like her body was being torn apart. The pain didn't last more than a few seconds, but if was enough to take her breath away. Ekko shot her a weird look, but they had no time for questions.

"Try to reach its head and tear the top part of its jaw from the bottom part. We'll keep it busy so you can get closer."

The dragon nodded and waited for the young man to join Diana. Xayah was on the ground, apparently unable to stand up, and the others acted like a shield, staying between her and the snake. Jinx was out of rockets, and her pistol didn't do much. Shyvana waited for the creature to entirely focus on the group before lunging forward, furrowing the earth with her talons. She got to its head, seized the two sides of its mouth and pulled in opposite directions to break it. The snake's teeth pierced her scaled skin, but she didn't let go, using all her strengths to finish her task. She eventually heard a crack, then another. The snake was worming out, struggling to free itself from this iron grip. The skin and muscles bounding its jaws started ripping apart. In an ultimate attempt to survive, the monster called back the spears which crashed onto Shyvana's armor. She roared in pain, but the job was done. With a desperate energy, she managed to split open the jaws of the snake, pulling its nose to its forehead. The ground stopped shaking, and after their enemy's body collapsed, a deep silence took over. Shyvana limped back, observing the monster to make sure it was actually dead.

"Good job," Jinx shouted from her position.

The Half-Dragon shivered at the idea of turning back to her human form and the pain it would cause. Gritting her teeth, she calmed down her rage, and her size slowly diminished. She fell on her knees, breathing heavily. A sharp pain burnt her hands and flank, where one of the spears had found its way through her scales. She pressed her hands on the wound to stop the bleeding. In her field of vision, Diana's boots appeared. The Scorn of the Moon crouched next to her "Let me see this."

The wound was deep, but no vital organs were damaged. She nonetheless needed to prevent any infection. She asked Fiora for the remaining cloth of her cape which she tied around Shyvana's waist. "I'll have to cauterize it later," she said. "We have nothing to disinfect it."

"Don't worry about infection," Shyvana panted, "I'm not made like you. It'll be fine."

"If you say so," Diana nodded. "You saved us today. I don't know what else we could have done against this thing."

"Don't mention it. How's Xayah?"

"She got hit by a spear, but it's just a scratch."

Diana left her alone to inspect the creature's body. Its black blood was mixing with the dirt. She heard footsteps and silently sighed as Jinx stopped next to her.

"Think we can eat this?" she asked.

"If your teeth are tough enough to chew it without breaking, maybe. I wouldn't try if I were you."

"What a pity I used up all my rockets on this guy."

"If you say so," Diana replied with a cold voice.

"Even Vayne is funnier than you, you know that?" the Loose Cannon said while walking away.

Not knowing what to do, Jinx sat on the ground, a bit disappointed: the fight hadn't been half as entertaining as she had expected. This adventure was boring, and she was looking forward to reaching Demacia. She had never been to this city, but she had heard words about its spotless walls and buildings. Adding a few colors would not be a bad thing. She closed her eyes and only opened them when she heard someone stop next to her.

"We gotta go," Ekko said.

 _ **NA: Here's chapter 3. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Let me know what you think!**_


	4. Awaits Our Demise

**Awaits Our Demise**

For two more days they kept walking and the ocean of rocks slowly turned to a dry and grassy land. They were all tired, and only their will to get out of there kept them moving northwards. Ekko was often in the front, walking by Shyvana whose wounds were healing faster than expected. The young man expected them to spot the Great Barrier soon. Next to him, Shyvana had barely said a word since the morning. Her features looked concerned.

"Is everything alright?" Ekko dared ask after debating whether it was a good idea or not.

Shyvana looked a him as though he had woken her up from a bad dream. "Yeah, why?"

"You look exhausted. I know we all are, but I feel like there is something troubling you."

"What do you think is happening at the Institute right now?"

"I have no idea. They're certainly searching for us, and I'm sure a few champions are barking at the game masters for letting such a thing happen."

"I just keep wondering: why here?" she sighed. "I mean: how did we end up in the Fyrone Flats? It is so unreal."

"Maybe the Fields of Justice have always been here, magically concealed. I guess we'll get answers when we come back."

In their field of vision, a high tower slowly appeared in the mist of dust.

"What do you think it is?" Ekko asked.

"Just another abandoned place, I supposed," the Half-Dragon replied. "We could stop there for the night."

Ekko nodded: although it was still early in the afternoon, they needed to hunt for food and it might take a while. Around them the empty hills were dead silent. Ekko wondered why nobody lived here: this wasn't a bad place. As they got closer to the tower, he realized its bottom was buried into the ground. The windows were smashed, and the whole structure threatened to collapse any time. Deep cracks were dug in the ground, making a large circle. When he saw the numbers drawn around the circle, Ekko's heart missed a beat. Without a word, he sprinted around the tower, his eyes locked on its facade. He stopped dead in front of the north wall: a huge clock whose hands were missing was hanging. How could they have reached the only spot they had to avoid? He ran back to the others

"We have to get away from here. It's the damn Clock Tower of Urtistan."

"Are yo sure?" Fiora asked. "It doesn't look like a place haunted by creatures of the Void."

"Because this is the surface only."

"So what," Jinx said, annoyed, "we're running again?"

"Unless you want to give Vel'koz a hug, yes." Ekko replied.

"He's not that bad on the Rift."

"His power is limited during matches," Diana retorted. "None of us knows what he's truly capable of, and I don't wanna stay here to find out. I'm out of here."

She didn't wait an answer to head North, towards the Great Barrier. She perfectly knew anyone with the slightest common sense would do everything to stay away from the Eye of the Void. Her eyes wandered in the huge grassy hills surrounding them. How could a land this beautiful be cursed?

At the end of the day, they reached the edge of a large forest. They chose to set camp before entering it. Diana decided to go hunt despite Xayah's complains. She had left her armor at the camp, happy to be relieved of its weight. Under the moonlit sky she walked through the woods, taking her time. Although the air was fresh, it was not as cold as in the Fryone Flats. The leaves were glittering with silver because of the moon, and the water droplets from a recent rain reminded Diana of the shining crystals she used to collect on Mount Targon. This was a place of pure beauty which could heal all wounds. Diana arrived to a large clearing where a river was peacefully streaming down. A couple deer were standing by the shore, and Diana winced in disgust when one of them turned its face to her: a bloody and oozing growth was ravaging part of its face and spread on its neck like a parasite slowly taking over a host. The other animals looked infected as well. Would it be safe to eat them? If it was the result of magic, they would not be contaminated. Either way, cutting the infected parts could be a solution. Since she suspected all the animals in the forest to be like this, Diana didn't wast time. She got a little closer, remaining undercover, and used her sword to gather moonlight energy which she fired at the deer. Blinded and burned by the spell, they tried to run away, but in the blink of an eye, Diana had sliced the throat of one of them, letting the other flee. She took a closer look at the growth. No smell came out of it, and it look cleaner than what she had thought. A snarl right next to her hear startled her "I bet you've missed us!"

She turned around while Wolf's fangs tickled her neck.

"What are you doing here?" Diana asked him, trying to slow down the beating of her heart.

"I am just watching Lamb's work. This thing chose to die to her arrows, and I must bow to that decision."

"Where is Lamb?" Diana stared at him.

Wolf turned his massive dark head to a tree on the left. Diana followed his gaze and saw Lamb crouched on a high branch. She swiftly jumped and landed with a roll. Although she landed in the dirt and leaves, her fur remained spotless.

"We were waiting for you, Diana," Lamb said with her soft voice.

"Why did you leave us?"

"The matters of mortals are not our concern. We only take care of them when they are about to meet their fate. Your path has crossed ours tonight as a harbinger of death."

"Have you been to the Institute already?"

"No. We have decided to linger in these woods. They are the result of a powerful and refreshing magic, all of whose flaws time has purified."

"Is it the first time you come here?"

"Of course not!" Wolf laughed. "We _are_ Valoran and have been roaming those lands since their creation."

"So you knew where we landed and didn't bother to help."

Lamb stared at her while Wolf wrapped his fangs around her white body, his head floating next to hers. "Does death truly serve the living?" she asked.

Annoyed, Diana put the deer on her shoulder. "Have fun around here," she said while walking away.

"We shall meet again when you are in Demacia," Lamb's voice replied, freezing Diana's blood in her veins.

"What do you mean?" She turned around, but Kindred were gone, and she was alone.

Diana brought the deer back to the camp without really hearing the cries of surprise of her companions. As soon as Lamb had pronounced her last sentence, a grip as cold as death as seized her heart. This was a warning: she had to stay away from Demacia. She decided to cross the Great Barrier and then head East, directly towards Mount Targon. The others wanted to reach Demacia in order to get to the Institute faster, but she would not put a foot in the capital and would stay away from those lands. Jinx who was sitting next to her elbowed her in the rib which woke her up.

"What?" she spat, startling the young woman.

"What's with you all of a sudden? It's like you met Warwick while walking in the woods."

"Just thinking about this disgusting growth on the deer's head," Diana lied. "Do you think it's edible?"

"I think so," Ekko replied. "if we chop off its head."

"Can I do it?" Jinx asked.

"Not with my sword," he retorted.

"That's not a sword, it's a glow stick." Jinx retorted, and Diana handed her own sword to avoid a crisis.

"Use mine and clean it afterward."

They had already gathered enough wood to last the whole night. They piled some branches and waited for Shyvana to light it up, but the Half-Dragon was nowhere around.

"Where did she go?" Xayah asked while jumping up her feet.

"I didn't even notice she had gone away," Fiora replied.

"Fuck," Xayah cursed. "I'll get her."

Without additional words, she ran towards to forest.

"Should we go after her?" Ekko asked.

"Why?" Diana said. "She can take care of herself."

"You don't really give a shit about any of us, do you," Fiora said, crossing her legs.

"No, but I would hate being babysat all day long as though nobody trusted me."

"It's not about trust." Ekko insisted. "It's about no knowing what lies in these woods. What if they get attacked?"

"And you're the mighty knight who's going to save them, are you?" Diana sighed.

The young man hesitated. He hated to admit it, but Diana was right. He sat down in a dark mood.

Thanks to her tracking skills, Xayah didn't take long to find where Shyvana had gone. She followed her tracks and footprints to a small clearing where three tall rocks seemed to emerge from the ground. Her ears caught a hoarse breathing coming from behind the boulders. She walked around and saw Shyvana curled up and shaking.

"What's wrong?" the Vastaya asked.

"Don't come near me," Shyvana replied.

Ignoring what she just said, Xayah knelt in front of her and put a hand on her arm. Her skin was the same temperature as hers, which surprised her. Shyvana's skin was usually way hotter than this because of the fire burning inside her. Xayah locked her gaze on her face until she raised her golden eyes on her.

"Why won't you tell me? I can help you."

"And how?" Shyvana retorted. "There is something destroying me from the inside, and I can't stop it. I don't even know what's happening."

"Explain it," Xayah gently said.

"Since we left the Rift and landed in that desert, my powers have been... I don't know how to call it. Every time I use my dragon power it hurts, and it's only been increasing. I can't cast a flame without pain tearing my hands and whenever I transform, I feel like my whole body is being split apart."

"Did you experience the same pain when you first turned to a dragon?" Xayah asked.

"No. It's the first time it happens. It has to be related to the incident in the Rift."

"You should get a check when we arrive to Demacia."

An uncomfortable silence lingered before Shyvana spoke. "What if it is more serious than we think?"

Xayah stared at her in silence as she continued "What if the incident in the Fields of Justice is only a small part of a bigger thing? I can't stop thinking about it."

Since she hadn't been around for long, Xayah could not relate very well to what Shyvana felt. She nonetheless took her hand "It will be fine. You're imagining the worst because you're scared."

Although she didn't want to admit it, the Half-Dragon knew Xayah was right. There was no need to worry, and they would soon reach the Great Barrier to enter Demacia.

"I promise I will not leave your side until your problem is fixed," the Vastaya added.

"What about Rakan? He must be missing you."

"Rakan can wait. Besides, he always makes me wait for him whatever we do. Now it's my turn."

Xayah looked up to the trees lightened by the moonlight. The whole forest was glimmering in silver. She stood up and contemplated the scenery, as a lust of wandering the woods made her shiver. The place reminded her of the large enchanted forests she roamed with Rakan in the south of Ionia a few years prior.

"If you want to explore the forest, I won't stop you," Shyvana said behind, startling her.

"How do you..."

"I might be a dragon, but I've lived with humans nearly my entire life. I know how they think, and your Vastayan behavior is similar."

Xayah scowled at her words, but did not reply.

"Let me come with you," Shyvana added. "It's safer if we stick together, and I hope you can tell me more about your culture."

"Why do you wanna know about it?" Xayah asked a bit defensively as they left the clearing.

"Simple curiosity. I haven't been much outside Demacia, and I've recently realized I've been wasting my time. I want to travel more and see the world. It's my own fault, of course, for remaining in the same place, but I feel like I'm missing something."

"Have you ever been to Ionia?" the Vastaya politely asked her.

"Of course not. Even though I have spoken much with Karma and Irelia about it, they only told me about what _they_ know."

"More about what they think they know," Xayah spat, surprising Shyvana with her aggressive tone. "I hate to think the Vastaya are linked to Ionians in any way. They took over our lands and brought only war and destruction. Even those claiming to act in the name of balance, like Shen, cast darkness upon us by allowing wraiths like Zed to rise. The Vastaya do not consist of only one group. There are many which don't look like Rakan or me. We have feathers, but some others have fur or scales. Each tribe speaks its own language and is more or less welcoming towards strangers."

"Where do the first Vastaya come from?"

"During the Void War in Ionia, a group of people who fled the war bumped into a tribe of shapeshifters. They got to know them and reproduced, giving birth to the first Vastaya. After that, they started to travel around and outside Ionia, settling down in regions of Runeterra."

"You mean there could be Vastaya in Demacia?"

"Possibly. I know of some tribes living in the Freljord, but apart from that, I focus more on Ionia."

"Why so?"

"You're not looking out for all the half-dragons in Valoran, are you," Xayah sharply replied. "I have enough to do on my own lands." An awkward silence lasted as the roaring of waterfalls echoed in the distance. Xayah's ears twisted and a smile stretched on her face. Noticing Shyvana's disturbed look, she asked "Can't you feel the magic in the air?"

"Not really," she replied, looking around.

"Open your heart, not your eyes. You don't need them to feel what's around you."

"I'm not much of a magic person in case you haven't noticed."

"Everyone can become sensitive towards magic if they are willing to let it flow through them. The source seems to be over there," she added, pointing towards the waterfalls.

Still confused, Shyavan followed her. Although she couldn't feel anything magic she had to admit this place was relaxing: the air was as pure as crystal clear water. She stopped when she caught sight of the waterfalls. Silver water was falling from a cliff whose wall seemed to be shining with turquoise diamonds. Deaf to the thunder of the water, she locked her eyes on this astonishing scenery, the like of which she had never seen before. By the corner of the eye, she saw Xayah walk closer to the river, were the water was hitting the ground.

"Come over here!" the young Vastaya shouted. When Shyvana joined her, she added "There is a cave behind the waterfall."

"How can you see it?"

"I told you to open your heart, not your eyes."

A bit dubious, the Half-Dragon watched as her companion walked through the water curtain. After a few seconds she followed her, stumbling upon the water's heavy hits. The other side was indeed a large cave lightened by stones the same color as the cliff.

"There is no way you can't feel anything," Xayah roared to cover the noise of the water.

Shyvana could feel a spike in her chest, but it was more a feeling of worry, as if something was wrong. She forced herself to calm down and closed her eyes. A soft feeling numbed her mind, and the universe stretched behind her closed eyelids. She saw a myriad of opportunities linked by a thin silver cord. Was that how magic worked? She felt overwhelmed by a feeling of joy and peacefulness. Far in the distance, she noticed a red glimmer and let her conscience float towards it. As she reached it, the silver path suddenly died out, and she found herself surrounded by utter darkness. The red light had gone too, and she was alone. A nameless terror seized her, wrapping around her chest like a claw of death. A voice echoed in her ears "I will take you all." It was followed by a hollow laugh.


	5. Far In The Distance

**Far In The Distance**

By the fire, Jinx sighed for the hundredth time. She was utterly bored. This adventure was dull, and so were the others. Every time she managed to start having fun, they acted like killjoys, yelling at her before shutting her down. How could they stand... being like this? The Piltovarian fell on her back and stared at the shining stars, drawing lines between them with her finger. Her head was resting on Fishbone, and it made her upset that she was out of rockets. The only weapon she could use was her hextech pistol. She took it and fired at the sky, wondering how high the shot would go. Was it even possible to reach the limit of the sky with any projectile? A pair of boots stopped next to her head. "What?" she asked Fiora.

"Why did you shoot at nothing like this?" Although the question sounded like a remonstrance, Jinx seized a hint of amusement in her voice.

"There was a bug bothering me." As Fiora kept silent, Jinx added "What do you want from me? I'm bored as hell. I'm waiting for each day and night to pass. This adventure sucks."

"Then why do you stick with us? You can go on your own if you want."

"Are you kicking me out?" Jinx scowled.

"Not at all. I'm just curious as to why you haven't left us yet. It's quite surprising I must say."

Jinx locked her eyes back on the sky. "I guess it would be even more boring if I were alone. I mean, being alone in a city is fun because there is a lot of stuff you can do, but in the wild it's more..."

"Boring," Fiora finished. "Find a way to kill time."

Jinx thought for a second before bursting out into laughter, picturing the face of the old Zilean as a target for Fishbone.

"We already have a time killer in the group," Jinx replied still laughing. "Give me something else to shoot at."

"What will you do when we get in Demacia?"

"I think I'll stay there for a while. I've never had a chance to explore the city, and who knows what I will find."

Fiora had some doubt about the word "explore". She replied "Be careful over there. Maybe you've always gotten away in Piltover, but Demacia is on another level."

This arose Jinx's curiosity. "What do you mean?" The possibility of a good challenge was appealing.

"Piltover runs on technology while Demacia is governed by human minds. It's harder to find the flaw in the system."

"Any places worth of interest?" Jinx asked genuinely interested in the matter.

Fiora shot her a weird look. Although Demacia was her home, the city had brought nothing but pain to her and her family. She stayed there only to honor her name, but despised the people, and mostly their laws. "You can try the Astrology Dome in the inner district. It's full of bizarre inventions and is an important place of culture for the people of Demacia. If you want something more colorful, there is the Academy of Dawn. It's one the biggest school in the city, and it is where those gifted with magic are sent. Demacians are not magic-friendly, and I think they fear this school and what might happen there more than anything. Some of them believe the Academy teaches mages to summon creatures to take over the city."

A smirk stretched Jinx's lips and she wondered what would happen after her "visit" in this school. She sat up and looked at Fiora, wondering why she was even talking to her. The air suddenly turned ice-cold, as if they were in the Freljord. She rubbed her hand on her arms and stood up. "What's going on?" she asked. A powerful wind blew her braids backwards. It was coming from the forest. The trees bent and their trunks moaned under the pressure. The fire instantly died and the night turned pitch dark. Ekko and Diana walked to them, holding their weapons. The wind stopped as suddenly as it had started. The coolness in the air disappeared, and the stars were again lightning the sky.

"The hell was that?" Ekko asked, staring at the forest.

"Xayah and Shyvana are still in there," Fiora said. "Should we look for them?"

"No," Diana categorically replied. "Dawn is only a few hours away, and we'll get lost if we try to find them."

"What if they don't come back before then?" Ekko asked, shocked by Diana's curt tone.

"We have to trust them. They can take care of themselves."

"You haven't answered my question."

"You know my answer already, Ekko," Diana coldly replied.

"So you're just gonna leave them here? Didn't you see what just happened? What if there is something dangerous in there?"

"They chose to go there. I will not risk my life to get them. Besides, we know nothing of this place. Perhaps it is a regular phenomenon."

Ekko glared at the Lunari, but didn't say anything. He exchanged looks with Fiora and saw anger and determination in her eyes. She would not leave the camp without Shyvana and Xayah.

When the stones lightening the cave started glowing again, Xayah looked around her. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she tried to calm down her breathing. The cave had been plunged into utter darkness all of a sudden. She had called out Shyvana, but had gotten no answer. The temperature had dropped enough for steam to come out of her mouth. Then it had stopped. She finally spotted her companion who was lying on the cold stone. Xayah jumped by her side, searching for her pulse. She sighed in relief when she saw Shyvana's chest move. Her skin was cold, and her eyes were twitching behind her closed eyelids. The Vastaya shook her "Wake up!" After a few seconds, the Half-Dragon suddenly opened her eyes and defensively put her arms in front of her face.

"Hey calm down, it's just me," Xayah said, putting her hand on the Demacian's arm. Shyvana grabbed her wrist, cutting her skin with her claws.

"Stop it!" Xayah screamed in surprise. "Look, it's me, Xayah."

When she heard her name, Shyvana stopped struggling and raised a confused look on Xayah's face. Her eyes widened and she let go of her wrist before burying her head in her hands.

"I... I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I thought... I am truly sorry."

Xayah gently took her hands "It's fine, don't worry. What happened to you?"

Shyvana's eyes were tearing as she was still caged in the terror she had felt. She took a moment to compose herself, and when she could think straight again, she replied "I tried to open to magic like you said. I managed to do it, and I saw a red light, like a glimmer in the horizon. When I approached it, it disappeared, and everything around me just vanished. I was alone in the dark." A cold shiver ran down her spine. Xayah wouldn't avert her eyes from her. "That's when I heard a voice. It was deep and filled me with horror. I felt like it was clawing its way inside me. It said 'I will take you all', then laughed and everything turned black around me."

Xayah's face was tensed as she listened. This was the first time she heard about such a thing. The magic here was of the purest form, devoid of any corruption. Why had Shyvana felt such a thing and not she?

"Your skin is freezing cold," she told her. "Do you think it has anything to do with what's happening to you? You've been affected by something when the Rift collapsed. What if it's...inside you?"

"I am not affected by dark magic if that's what you mean."

"You can't know for sure. It was a mistake bringing you here. Can you stand up?"

She helped her up, and they slowly made their was back to the camp. At the beginning, she was almost carrying her companion, but the latter seemed to grow stronger with every step.

"Can you please keep this for yourself?" Shyvana asked. "There is no need to alarm the others."

The Vastaya stared at her before nodding.

When they arrived at the camp, Ekko asked them if they had seen anything coming from the forest. As he explained what had happened, Shyvana shivered.

"We felt the exact same thing," Xayah said, "but nothing happened."

"I don't think we should sleep without taking watch turns," Fiora said when Jinx loudly yawned.

"I'll stay up," Diana said. "I'll wake you up in the morning."

Nobody said a thing, too exhausted to protest. They lay down on the ground and all fell asleep in a matter of minutes. All but Shyvana. She was terrified at the idea of closing her eyes again. She felt she would be trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake up. After tossing and turning, she stood up in silence, drawing Diana's attention. The Scorn of the Moon was sitting on a rock a bit further, staring at the forest. She was still thinking about Kindred's words. She had spoken about Demacia, but hadn't mentioned anything about _when_ they were supposed to meet again. Although she didn't mind avoiding the city for the rest of her life, she knew Kindred was never wrong about incoming meetings. She sighed and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. She noticed a move on her right and saw the Half-Dragon stand up. Laying her eyes back on the trees, she wondered how far the Demacian border was. As soon as they would cross the Great Barrier, she would part with the others to avoid going deeper in Demacian territory. By the corner of the eye she watched Shyvana pace up and down. Why was she so agitated? Diana had noticed the Demacian had skipped many sleep hours since the beginning of their journey. Something was definitely wrong with her, but since she would not talk about it, Diana supposed she didn't want to be bothered with this. Unconsciously her mind drifted towards the Institute of War. They had no clue of knowing what was happening over there. How could the game makers let this happen? They were supposed to try everything out before sending champions on the Fields of Justice, especially after making such huge changes. Diana hated the Institute and seized any opportunity to get away from it. When she was forced to remain there, mainly during tournaments, she avoided contact with the other champions as much as possible, the Yordles most of all. The only ones she could stand were Rammus and Sona who didn't talk much. The irritating sound from Shyvana's footsteps soon got on her nerves. She got off her rock and silently walked to her. "Can you be even more noisy?' she whispered. "You're going to wake them up."

"Sorry I just can't sleep."

"Walking around like this won't help," Diana replied before going back to her rock. The night was at its coldest, which meant dawn would soon arrive. She held back a wince when Shyvana sat next to her, sighing deeply.

"May I somehow help you?" Diana asked, swallowing her irritation.

"Not really," Shyvana replied, surprised to hear her voice. "Just waiting for the night to pass."

"It always does. Then another day, followed by another night."

A long moment elapsed during which none of them spoke. Shyvana broke the silence "Do you think we'll ever get out of this forest?"

Diana frowned, trying to figure out the understatement behind her question. Something else had happened while Xayah and she were gone. "I guess it will always be a part of us, of our memories at least," she carefully replied. "It is not a place easily forgotten."

Another silence stretched, and when Diana glanced at her companion, she noticed she had fallen asleep. Diana's eyes were closing as well. Fortunately the sky was slowly lightening, painted in pink and red by the first lights of dawn. When the first rays of the sun pierced through the trees, she stood up and woke up the others. They gathered their gear and supplied and entered the forest, following Ekko who seemed to have to best sense of directions.

A thin fog was floating above their knees for the next two days. Although they remained sensitive to every sound surrounding them, they eventually relaxed and enjoyed the walk. Even Jinx had never seen such a beautiful place. At the end of the second day, they reached the end of the forest, in front of a steep uphill. They decided to stop here and climb up the next morning. They were all expecting to see the mountains making out the Great Barrier on the other side. Fiora took the first watch and carefully observed the hill. The ascension would be hard, but not impossible. There were numerous catches to climb. Her arm was slowly healing and moving it was easier every day. She fiddled with a twig for a moment, pushing away her hair that was falling in front of her eyes. She looked at the campfire where they had cooked rabbits Xayah had caught. Her thoughts then moved towards Demacia and a spear of apprehension pierced her heart. Jinx was supposed to take the next watch, but Fiora did not entirely trust her not to fall asleep. She woke up the girl three hours later, and the latter mumbled a few swearwords.

"I can take your turn as well if you want to sleep," Fiora offered while Jinx stared at her with tired eyes.

"Nah, it's fine." She stretched like a cat for a good minute before standing up. "Not sleeping?" she added when she noticed Fiora walked back to her spot.

"Later. After your watch."

"I don't understand why you don't trust me," Jinx said. The naivete in her voice made Fiora laugh.

"It's not like you put sap on Ekko's hair last time you were supposed to watch the camp."

"He asked for it, and he looks terrible when his hair is not fixed. What's the point of these watch turns anyways? Nothing happened in the past days."

"It's just in case."

The Loose Cannon leaned her back against a trunk and sighed "I wish I could oil my Fishbone. It's rusting."

"We'll get to Demacia soon enough."

"You said that already."

"Fine, you just have to wait several weeks before we get to Demacia."

"The first version is actually better," Jinx replied. A woodlouse was running on her hand, tickling her skin. She watched it for a moment before shooing it away. A few blue fireflies were quietly flying a bit further. This silence was driving her insane. Compared to the roaring noises of Piltover, the countryside felt so...empty. Since Fiora was still awake, she walked away to get wood for the fire which was dying out. She easily found dead branches around and picked them up, humming one of her favorite melodies. She had first heard it when she was toying with some music boxes in a trinket store back in Piltover's slums, where people were less likely to pay attention to her wanted posters. She had taken advantage of a client distracting the seller to get out with the music box. She kicked a rock that happened to be in her way, angering a few bugs. She sighed again, wishing to have her music box with her.

The ascension of the hill was long and rough. The ground was covered in small stones rolling under their feet and dragging them down. More than one time, they fell on their knees before getting back up, deaf to Jinx's laugh, who apparently cracked up every time she saw someone fall in front of her. In the early afternoon, they finally reached the top and took a moment to catch their breaths while overlooking the Demacian forests spearing in front of them. Ekko sighed in relief: they were finally out of trouble. The way down was no less of a struggle than the way up. They constantly had to grab onto the small trees to avoid tumbling all the way down. The sun was gone when they got to the bottom. They were exhausted, but content, and getting to Demacia from there would be a walk in the park. They set camp at the roots of the Great Barrier, and Xayah took the first watch. She was looking forward to seeing Rakan again, but she would not break her promise to Shyvana. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the cave, and even if she did not particularly enjoy the company of humans, she would get to the bottom of this, even if it meant spending some time in a human city. A few hours later, she woke up Ekko and quickly fell asleep. An hour before dawn, Diana woke up and packed up her stuff.

"Where are you going?" Ekko asked as she walked past him.

She coldly stared at him while he jumped off the dead trunk he was sitting on.

"Back to Mount Targon. I have no business in Demacia."

"Are you not curious about what happened? I mean..."

"I'll let you inform me next time I'm at the Institute. I've been gone for too long now, I have to go."

"Well," Ekko sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing, "I guess I can only wish you a safe trip."

"I always do," Diana replied with a dangerous smile before walking away.

The young man watched as she disappeared in the darkness of the night.

 _ **NA: Here's chapter 5 of the story. Please leave a review and let me know what you think about the story :) Have a fantastic day!**_


	6. Lost In A Horizon Of Death

**Lost In A Horizon Of Death**

When the rest of the group woke up, the first one to notice Diana's absence was Xayah. When she asked, Ekko replied she had parted with them in the night.

"One fewer drag in this group," Jinx commented.

"Says Jinx," Xayah spat.

"We shouldn't linger here," Ekko said in order to avoid another argument. "Before we go, is there anyone else here who is not going to Demacia?"

His words were followed by a deep silence he interpreted as a "no". They packed up and walked through the woods for a few days. Shyvana was in the lead, followed by Ekko and Xayah. Jinx and Fiora were in the back. The Loose Cannon kept asking questions about the capital and Fiora soon had enough of it. She did not answer with more than two words, most of which were "yes" or "no". Her arm was now entirely healed and being able to move it like before was a relief. As far as she could remember, it was the first time she had had a broken bone in her life. Outside the Rift, of course. Fiora wondered if they would be able to see any champions of the League in Demacia. It was extremely likely, since they had nothing to do at the Institute if the Fields of Justice were subject to significant issues. It would allow the group to know what exactly was going on. They would reach Demacia in a couple days and she could not wait for the mess Jinx would bring over there, even though she did not want to openly admit it. Fiora perfectly knew their location and they would see the first villages the next morning when they would get out of the forest. She took the first watch on that night. There was no actual need for watch turns, but Ekko had insisted on it. The night was warm, which contrasted with all the other nights they had spent since the breaking of the Rift. She looked at her sword and the memory of her father struck her. Since his death, Fiora had been entrusted with the legacy of her name, which she had carried like a burden for years. For the first time she questioned the purpose of this mission. Why would she keep doing it? Sure her name would disappear from Demacia and then what? Nobody was going to die because of it. She had been tied to this name for so long she had forgotten about her own ambitions and desires. No she hadn't forgotten: she had simply discarded them and pretended to live for the sake of her family. They were gone now, so why carry on? Hadn't she wasted enough time with this?

"What's with you and the bad mood?" a high-pitched voice said behind her. She startled and turned around, ready to strike. She was not surprised to see Jinx and put her weapon down.

"Why are you up this late?" Fiora asked.

"I'm bored, what do you think! There is nothing to do here!"

"How can you feel bored all the time? Just enjoy what's around you."

Jinx winced "I did it already. Look." She handed her a pile of branches twisted in the shape of a gun.

"I don't get why everything must revolve around guns," Fiora sighed. She was tired of all this violence and brutality.

"I swear you've never held a gun," Jinx replied. "That's all there is in Piltover and Zaun. Down there if you can't defend yourself, you can't survive."

"Were you born in Piltover?" Fiora asked.

"Nah. I was born in Zaun and grew up there. Then, one day, I walked past a mansion I had never seen before. I broke in and stole a golden medallion. The old man living there begged me to give it back, and I agreed in exchange of a way out of Zaun."

"Did you actually give it back?"

"I made a fake one and gave it to the old man. Then I sold the real one in Piltover."

"I'm sure you blew up the whole store with the merchant inside."

"I can't remember if he actually was in his shop or not," Jinx sighed. "I remember the place, though. It was a small building in the outskirts of the city."

"And that was a reason to destroy it?"

"He tried to swindle me!"

"Did he?"

"Nope… but he was rude to me."

"Because you were trying to swindle him?"

"Kind of. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Fiora replied.

"Why do you stay cool when I tell you all this? It's like you don't give a crap."

"You want me to send you to your room and tell you to be nicer? No thanks."

"But..."

"That's your life, Jinx. Not mine." Fiora stood up to walk away. "Can you please leave me now? I thought the infamous Jinx hated any kind of human contact."

"I'm stuck with you guys and you're the only interesting thing around."

Fiora let out an exasperated sigh. "How many times do we have to tell you: if you want to go, just go. In the meantime, _we_ are stuck with _you_ , so quit crying." She was about to punch Jinx in the face. She needed to get away from her. As she walked away, the latter shouted without consideration for the others sleeping "Hey, how about your watch turn?"

"Take it! I don't care," Fiora barked before disappearing behind the trees.

Xayah woke up at the sound of Jinx's voice and got angry before even opening her eyes. Why was that maniac shouting?

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She spat while standing up.

Jinx turned to her with a look of innocence on her face. "Fiora's gone, I think."

"Great…," Xayah said. "Are you gonna shut up or do I have to rip your tongue out?"

Jinx stuck her tongue out at her as a reply.

"What's happening here _again_?" Shyvana asked. She was standing next to Ekko had also been woken up by the racket.

"Ask her," Xayah retorted, nodding at Jinx who smiled, happy to be the center of the attention.

"I was talking to Fiora. She lost it and left."

"As if you had to say anything to be annoying," the Vastaya said.

"Shut up, Xayah, you're not helping," Ekko yelled. "Jinx, where did she go?"

Jinx pointed at the direction she has seen Fiora leave "Over there."

Ekko ran his hand in his white hair which was falling on his face. "Guys, come on. We're two days away from Demacia. Two days. That's all we need. Since none of you seems willing to go on their own, you're gonna need to stand one another for just two days… Is it that hard? If you can't stop arguing, don't talk to one another."

A long silence followed his sputter. He swore to himself: if this kind of mess happened again, he would leave and get to Demacia on his own. Jinx broke the silence, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"I'll find Fiora."

"Alright, we'll wait for you."

Jinx walked for a moment, slaloming between the trees. She had absolutely no idea where the Demacian was, but she couldn't be far away,...could she? Tired of looking everywhere, she started calling out Fiora. Maybe this would draw the attention of some unwanted creature that would distract her. A while later, her voice was hoarse from shouting and she was about to give up when she heard Fiora's voice. At last.

"There you are!" Jinx said when she saw the Duelist sitting at the roots of an oak.

"Are you here to bother me again?" Fiora asked, staring at her.

"Just here to bring you back."

"I'll go back when I decide I want to."

"And I won't go back there empty handed. So, in the meantime I'm stuck with you…" Noticing Fiora's glare, she quickly added "Or you're stuck with me, depending on your point of view."

Fiora thought the only way to actually get rid of Jinx was to get to Demacia as soon as possible. There, the blue-haired girl would have plenty of things to destroy and have fun with.

"What do you think of Xayah?" Jinx asked out of nowhere.

"I haven't really talked to her, so I don't know. I'm not very good at socializing."

"That makes two of us," Jinx replied.

"There's a difference between being antisocial and being a psycho," the Demacian sarcastically said.

"I don't enjoy killing people, you know," Jinx winced.

"That explains why you blew up at least half the city of Piltover."

"All the buildings were empty. Hat Lady and Fisting Scum made sure to make up half the story to make it look worse than it actually is."

Fiora looked at her, unable to decide whether or not she was telling the truth. "How about that man whose body was found under the walls of the Treasury after you destroyed it?" She asked. She knew this story was true because she had met a doctor working on the case.

"That was an accident. The only one. That dumbass decided to go back in for whatever reason and when I pressed the trigger, it was too late. I didn't mean to blow him up with the building."

"What great morals."

"Don't you dare tell me you've never had blood on your hands outside the Fields of Justice. I can't believe it. All the champions are weirdos with psycho backgrounds." As Fiora remained silent, Jinx knew she had a point and decided to satisfy her curiosity. "So, who did you kill?" she asked.

"That's none of your business," Fiora said, on the defensive.

"Why not? I'm your friend, aren't I. You have to tell me."

Fiora couldn't help laughing. "What do you think friends are?"

Jinx thought for a second before replying "People I appreciate enough not to blow their faces right away."

"You're gonna need to dig deeper than that if you want to find friends."

Jinx took her pistol from her belt and pointed it on Fiora's face. The Duelist rolled her eyes.

"See?" Jinx said. "If you weren't my friend, you'd be scared. It means you trust me not to shoot you."

"What if I just pretend to?"

"Okay, now I might actually shoot you," Jinx said wryly.

A cold wind blew the dead leaves around them away and Jinx couldn't help a shiver. "Why is it so freaking cold here at night?" she grumbled.

"I would give you my cape, but it's completely destroyed," Fiora said while standing up. "We should go back or we'll be tired tomorrow."

" _Or we'll be tired tomorrow_ ", Jinx repeated emphasizing Fiora's accent. "Your accent is so...weird. How can you live with that?"

"How can you live with yourself?" Fiora replied with a voice full of sarcasm.

Jinx elbowed her in the ribs -quite hard actually- and burst out into laughter.

A few days after she parted with the others, Diana finally came in sight of Mount Targon. She had been avoiding urban regions, and she scowled her brows when she spotted a thick black smoke floating in the distance. Was there a fire in one of the villages? Should she check it out? She was at least a day away from Mount Targon and decided she could spare a few hours to help the villagers with this fire. When she reached the buildings, a dead silence welcomed her, only broken by the cracks of the fire. There was no one around: no children screaming, no birds signing nor horses neighing. She carefully made her way to the burning houses and gagged when she reached the center of the small town. The stench of blood and death infiltrated her nostrils, making her eyes tear up. She remained frozen at the sight of the massacre that had taken place here. Countless bodies had been piled up in the streets and burnt to the bone. Some of them were still smoking. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Diana's ears were buzzing as she walked past a few other piles of corpses, people and animals. Nothing had been spared. Some victims had even been cut in half. She reached the part of the village, where the thick black smoke came from. Three bodies were hanging on the wall, cruicified. They had the size of small children and for some reason had not been burnt like the others. Forcing her trembling legs to move forward, Diana stopped at the foot of the building and a feeling of pure horror seized her heart. They were not children. They were Yordles. A bug appeared in her field of vision and she waved her hand to shoo it away. Yet it came back. Diana rubbed her teary eyes and her vision became clearer. She immediately recognized what she had first thought was an insect. She had seen it on the Rift, either protecting her from death or annoying the hell out of her.

"Pix?" she managed to whisper. "What are you doing here?"

The fea landed on her shoulder and set its eyes on the wall, where…

Diana's eyes widened as she now glimpsed some details hidden by her tears. She recognized Lulu's ears and what was left of her dress. On the next body, she could see the red scarf which belonged to Teemo. Finally, she identified the third one as Ziggs because of his half-torn helmet. What had happened here? Diana gave her head a mental shake and walked closer. The Yordle's bodies were covered with lacerations. Pix took off and landed on Lulu's head and pulled her hair in a desperate attempt to wake her up.

"Stop it, Pix," Diana said. "She won't wake up."

Pix raised its eyes filled with pain on the Scorn of the Moon. Diana took a look at the nails pinning the Yordle's hands to the wall. They were deeply dug in the stone. Her attention was drawn by a black mark on Teemo's chest. It looked like a bruise if it weren't for the fire veins running through it. Diana hesitated and ran her finger on it. The skin was as hard as stone. What could it be? She checked on Lulu and Ziggs and found the same mark. She turned around, around, unsure about what to do. Should she investigate the village and try to find any survivors? Should she bury the Yordles? Her gaze shifted to Mount Targon towering the plains. There was a small community of farmers living on the mountain. Diana decided to check on them first. There was nothing left here anyways, and the chances of finding a survivor were probably below zero.

Diana did not stop to rest on her way to the roots of the mountain. There was no time to waste. The sky turned red when the sun slowly went down, as if painted by the villagers' tears of blood. She had been to the farming camp only twice, but the path was carved in her mind and she had no trouble finding it. Her heart hammering her chest, she came close to the first tents a bit before dawn. Not a sound broke the silence of the night. A dying fire was trying to keep burning until the first lights of the day. As soon as she got next to the first two tents, she heard footsteps crush the dead branches on the ground.

"Diana!" a voice said. Although it sounded familiar, Diana could not identify it clearly. A man walked in her direction and it took Diana several seconds to recognize Pantheon. She had never seen the warrior without his helmet. His dark hair was falling in front of his eyes and his mouth was twitching in concern.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, forgetting to greet him.

"We're staying here to protect those people, but what..."

"We?" Diana cut him off. "Who's with you?"

"Leona." At this name, the Scorn of the Moon gritted her teeth. "What happened to you in the rift? Everything suddenly shut down at the Institute. All the crystals used to broadcast the matches exploded and a tremor shook the ground. None of you made it back."

"The whole Rift was torn apart from the inside and we were transported to the far South. Shen, Taric and Thresh are dead."

"Dead?"

"They died in the Rift. I don't know how it happened, but they're gone forever. Now, answer me: what are you protecting these people from?"

"Haven't you seen the smoke in the plains?" he asked, turning his gaze towards the destroyed village.

"I saw the village," Diana said, lowering her voice. "I saw what happened to the people there and to Teemo, Ziggs and Lulu."

Pantheon remained silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Yes. I have no idea who might have done something like this. After the break in the Rift, all the champions were dismissed from the Institute and sent back to wherever they could go. When I came back here yesterday with Leona, we spotted the smoke from the village and. As we ran closer, we saw a figure on horseback leaving the place at top speed. A survivor most possibly. We were unable to identify it. After we found out what had happened to the villagers and the Yordles, we chose to come here. There are not many people living around Mount Targon, and it is our duty to make sure they're safe."

"Considering the chaos in the village, it must have been a large group of raiders, but why would they slaughter everybody in the village? And with this much violence?" Diana asked.

Pantheon's answer was interrupted by Leona who walked towards them. She froze when she saw Diana standing on the ledge. Diana shot her a dark look before saying "I'm not here for you. I just want to know what's happening."

On her guards, the Solari stopped next to Pantheon who told her "I've just explained how we came here." He then turned to Diana "To answer your question, I do not believe they are mere raiders. They clearly had some form of strict military training. Plus, they didn't steal anything. It seems they acted for the sake of bloodshed only.

"What makes you think they'll come here?" Diana asked.

"We cannot be sure, of course, but it's a risk we're willing to take. We have to make sure the threat is not longer looming."

"And then?"

"We'll inform the League of Legends about the Yordles."

"I'll do it," Diana said without thinking. You both can stay here, and I'll head to the Institute. I believe they'll want to know what happened during the match.

Pantheon glanced at Leona, probably searching for advice, but the Solari remained emotionless.

"Fine," Pantheon eventually said. "Be careful on your way."

Diana's lips stretched in a ferocious smile "I always am."

 _ **NA: Here's chapter 6. It's a bit longer than the others, but as you can see, the real plot is there. Everything before was a way to introduce the characters, how I wanted to depict them, as well as the relationships they have with one another. Leave a review to let me know what you think!**_


	7. Lingers A Presence

**Lingers A Presence**

Jinx's feet were tired of walking this much. For days they had wandered the woods, only resting at dusk, when their legs could no longer carry them. Her mood was terrible and she did not hesitate to seize the slightest opportunity to insult everyone around her. Ekko, Shyvana and Fiora were ignoring her, but she took a sadistic pleasure in annoying Xayah to the bone. The Vastaya's hot temper was everything she needed to fight the feeling of boredom that settled down every morning. At first, Ekko had tried to step in, but had quickly given up with a "Fuck this shit". Fiora and Shyvana ensured them they would come across a village at the end of day. Jinx sighed in relief when she finally saw the light of torches dancing in the dimming light.

"How far are we from Demacia?" she asked Fiora.

"We'll get to the city tomorrow."

The answer both relieved and annoyed her. The small houses were made of wood and Jinx's mind was unconsciously imagining what would happen if she managed to put her hands on a bit of oil. As though the alarm had been raised, they were welcome by a group of armed Demacian guards. Jinx had no idea why they were here, but they would surely mess her plans up.

"Do not move further!" one of them barked. "Who are you and what is your destination?"

The group stopped and Shyvana said "We are on our way to Demacia. We must speak to the Crownguard."

"What business do you have with the Crownguard family?"

Shyvana exchanged looks with the others who nodded, and only Jinx didn't get what it was about. Not that she cared about it, though.

"We are champions of the League of Legends. There was an accident in the Rift..."

"The League of Legends?" The guard's look displayed both confusion and horror. "You must leave now. Go to Demacia. Garen's orders."

"What do you mean?"

"The Captain has spread the word: should we see any champion of the League, we are to send them to Demacia as soon as possible."

"Why so?"

"He did not mention the reasons behind this decision."

"Good little dogs following order," Jinx said loud enough for the guards to hear her.

Ekko ignored her and asked "Are we not allowed to stay here for the night?"

"By the Captain's orders, champions of the League are not allowed in any inhabited community on the Demacian territory. I suggest you head to Demacia right now. Lord Garen has never made such a drastic decision. It must be a matter of the utmost importance."

"Alright," Shyvana calmly replied. "May the gods guide you."

"May the gods guide you," the guard said in return, slightly bowing.

"Back to zero," Jinx complained. "I'm so sick and tired of this!"

"We're all sick and tired of you," Xayah curtly said, "yet you're still here."

Jinx came close to her, close enough to make the Vastaya feel uncomfortable. She passed an arm around Xayah's shoulders and provocatively said "Because you love me. What would you do if I weren't there?"

"Enjoy life, maybe," Xayah shrugged Jinx's arm off. "Or at least not want to kill myself."

"I'd kill myself too if I were you. Oh, by the way, I've never asked, but how is it without your lovely Rakan?"

Xayah rolled her eyes "Don't be jealous. I'm sure you'll find a body that'll entertain you for the rest of your life."

"That's the thing with dead things: as long as you're creative, you can do whatever you want with them. I'm sure you've grown tired of Rakan's attempts to satisfy you...Maybe that's why you've turned to Shyvana. I hope your bird man is not afraid of roasted feathers."

A bit ahead, Ekko was speaking to Fiora, trying to shut out the racket caused by Jinx and Xayah. They were discussing Garen's orders and imagined theories which could explain it, but nothing made actual sense.

"What if something happened to the Institute itself? Like if it blew up or something," Ekko suggested.

"I don't get why it would prohibit us from entering all towns and cities in the Demacian territory," Fiora shrugged. "I really don't know what to think about this."

"I guess we'll see when we get to Demacia. I'm not sure I'll be able to stand those two any longer, though," he said while glancing back. "I've seen Jinx enough for the rest of my life."

"She's not that bad when you understand how her thoughts work."

"Boom, boom, boom. Nothing hard to understand."

"That's just her way of displaying it."

"We all have ours, I guess."

Fiora glanced at him, wondering what he meant. "What are you plans after checking on Garen?" Ekko asked her.

"I'm not sure yet. I do not want to remain in Demacia. I might travel, find a ship to Ionia and hopefully settle there for a while. I'm tired of the city. How about you?"

"Oh, you know… I guess I'll go back to Zaun. I've got a few friends I haven't seen in a long time."

"Childhood friends?"

Ekko had a snicker "Yeah. We used to mess around a lot, but they're now working in the mines underneath the city and I barely have time to see them."

"I haven't seen my childhood friend for...at least fifteen years," Fiora sighed.

"Wow that's a long time. Are you keeping in touch or not at all?"

After a minute of silence, Ekko realized Fiora was lost in her thoughts. "Fiora?" he said.

"Yes?" she replied as if woken up from a bad dream.

"You okay?"

"Yes." Her face was tensed, obvious sign that the conversation was over.

Everyone remained quiet until they arrived to Demacia. The marble city walls were reflecting the sunlight, almost blinding them. The guards stopped them when they got to the huge, richly carved, gates.

"What is you business here?" a guard asked.

"We are champions of the League of Legends. We were asked to come to Demacia in order to meet with Garen."

The guards exchanged looks: they obviously did not trust Ekko's words.

"We need evidence of what you say to let you in."

"You need my gun on your freaking face," Jinx spat. Among all of them, she was the one whose mood was the worst.

There was only one way to prove one's belonging to the League of Legends: whoever joined it would be subject to a ritual allowing them to be transferred to the Rift, battle and die without it having serious consequences on their minds and bodies. The ritual was short, yet painful and would leave a mark on the back, just below the neck. Would showing this suffice to convince the guards? They had probably never heard of it.

"My name's Ekko," the boy tried again. "This is Xayah, Fiora, Shyvana and Jinx. You have to trust us."

Although the names seemed to sound familiar to the guards, they were still hesitant.

"If you give us your weapons, we will take you to the Captain," one of them eventually said.

They all agreed, even though Fiora had to tear Fishbone from Jinx's hands in order for her to let go. The Demacian capital hadn't changed a bit: the white stone buildings, the people, the atmosphere...everything was the same. Fiora knew where the military district was, and that it would take them at least half an hour of walking to get there. As they made their way through the paved streets, all the bystanders stared at their group. The escort of guards around them didn't make their entrance quite discreet. On most faces, she could read annoyance, probably because the people didn't like troublemakers, and after their long journey, they looked like thieves infested with lice. In some other eyes, however, fear and panic were visible. Why would anyone be afraid of them? They were not carrying any weapons, and displayed no signs of aggressiveness. She looked behind and saw Jinx answering those looks with a ferocious smile, a grin full of promises. Jinx seemed happy to have finally arrived to a civilized place. Her eyes were constantly twitching around, meticulously scanning the area. While she was putting on her show, Fiora looked at the other champions. Shyvana was dragging her feet as though lifting them was too difficult. Her back was bent and she kept her eyes low. All of them had lost weight since the incident in the rift, but, although it was none of her business, Fiora had noticed Shyvana's body was far skinnier than it used to be. It was certainly due to her dragon part which required more energy. Yet, Shyvana had refused to eat more than the others. Next to the Half-Dragon, Xayah was looking at the city and most particularly, at its people with obvious contempt and disgust. Although her hate for humans was notorious, nobody exactly knew where it came from. She was often glancing at Shyvana, as if she was afraid the Half-Dragon would become mad and burn the whole place down. Every time Xayah turned her gaze to her, the expression in her eyes shifted to compassion...if someone like Xayah could actually feel that way. Ekko was in the front, talking with one of the guards. He seemed extremely curious as to why Garen had requested their presence in Demacia. Despite the fact they had been on the way for hours, he still seemed to be as energized as a hextech battery.

The military district covered a large part of the city. They headed directly to the headquarters, but instead of going to the War Chamber, the guards led them to a smaller building which looked like soldiers shacks. Inside, the windows allowed the sunlight to brighten the rooms. The place was dead silent, and the guards hesitated.

"Captain?" one of them said.

A loud noise followed by a curse word came from the back of the building.

"Yep, he's there," Xayah said.

Garen strode their way. His hair was a mess, and dark rings circled his eyes. He stopped dead when he saw them, a look of pure confusion on his face.

"Guess who's alive!" Jinx laughed.

"You are the last ones I expected here," Garen replied with a tired voice. "After the last match, you all just...disappeared."

"Garen," Shyavana said, "What happened? Why do you want all the champions to come to Demacia?"

"We're not safe anywhere else," Garen replied. "Please take a seat."

He then asked one of the guards to prepare some tea and asked the other to fetch Lux and Jarvan. He sat on a couch, his forearms resting on his laps. "I have no idea where to begin."

"The beginning would be a good start," Jinx curtly said. Clearly she had plans in mind, and attending a conversation with Demacians was not one of them.

"When the Rift broke apart, it was a mess. Everybody was panicking, and nobody knew what to do. You were missing, and a giant explosion shook the air. For days, they tried to find out what had happened. In the meantime, they sent all the champions away from the Institute in order to work in peace.

"So they haven't fixed the issue yet," Fiora said.

"It's more serious than this," Garen replied. In the past weeks, we have received...reports from all across the continent mentioning slaughters that took place here and there. Every time, a champion of the League was found dead."

A deep silence ensued. Ekko eventually broke it. "Dead?"

"Yes, dead. Burnt, torn apart, whatever you want. Something is...hunting us down. Lux might have an explanation, but she still needs to work on it."

"How many died?" Xayah asked with a shaky voice. "And is Rakan..."

"So far, we've counted thirty-nine, but I'm afraid it's not all. As to Rakan, we don't know his location."

Xayah's face was as pale as snow and her lips were trembling.

"What's Lux's theory?" Fiora asked.

"She says it is something related to the inner power of the League, and..."

The door burst open, startling them all. Jarvan came in, followed by Lux. Both of them were wearing casual tunics and trousers.

"By the light, you're alive," Lux said. "What happened to all of you? You disappeared after the..."

"Can you please tell us about what you think is going on?" Xayah cut her off.

"Happy to see you too," Lux replied on the same tone. She stood next to Garen and began "Do you remember what happened during your Judgment? Or more precisely, at the end of it."

They all exchanged looks, wondering what she meant by that.

"They performed some kind of ritual to give us the power to fight in the Rift," Ekko replied.

"It is more than a mere ritual," Lux replied.

"What..." Xayah commenced.

"You wanted me to explain, then let me speak," Lux snapped her. Ignoring the Vastaya's murdering eyes, she continued. "When a new person is accepted into the League of Legends, a Shaman is called out. This being injects the new champion with a new power. It is merely a shard, but it's all it takes. This power allows the Champion to be transferred to the other reality which is the Rift without dying. It's this power that revives you every time you die and heals your wounds. All the champions of the League have a part of this power within them."

"How do you know all these details?" Ekko asked.

"I was contacted by the Mages of the League after the first reports of dead champions came to Demacia."

"How is it connected?"

"The bodies found were emptied of this power. All of them. I cannot tell why, but it is clear someone, or should I say something is trying to collect all the shards of this power in order to make it whole."

"But why kill the champions?" Jinx asked. "If they want this power, they could go straight to the Shaman."

"I thought about that too, and I believe every shard is an irreplaceable part of the Shaman's power who therefore loses its own power little by little when transferring it to the champions."

"Does the Shaman die if it reaches zero?" Jinx asked.

"It matters not," Fiora said. "Is there any evidence of what you're saying?"

"Are you accusing us of lying?" Garen coldly said.

"In case you haven't noticed, we've been busy and haven't had any news from the Institute. Thirty-nine dead champions sounds absurd."

"We have retrieved a few bodies." Jarvan's look darkened. "They're being studied in the Academy of Light."

"Whose bodies?"

Lux's jaw contracted as she replied "Lucian and Sona, or at least what's left of them." The hesitation lingering in Fiora's eyes angered the young mage. "What? You want a picture? Why would we be lying about this? There is no point in making up such stories. Now, if you still have doubts, Lucian and Sona are in the undergrounds of the Academy. You can check it out."

The animosity in Lux's voice surprised everyone in the room. Garen put a hand on her arm, but she shook it off.

"Where is the Shaman now?" Ekko asked in order to shift the conversation to a more important topic.

"We have no idea," Lux said. "He's a spiritual being and nobody knows where he wanders."

"Maybe that...thing will not be able to find him," Ekko said.

"But it can find _us_ ," Shyvana replied. "Is Demacia safe?"

"I'm not sure anywhere is safe anymore," Jarvan said. "There hasn't been any incident in the city so far, but we do not know for how long it will last."

Garen glared at him, as if he could not imagine a safer place than Demacia. Jarvan carried on: "According to our patrols, the champions slaughtered were often isolated, sometimes found in villages which were burnt to the ground."

"Whoever is doing this knows how to act," Garen said. "Just like a hunter, they target the most isolated and vulnerable ones."

"I'm not sure Nasus is quite the 'vulnerable' type," Lux retorted.

"You found him too?" Ekko frowned.

"Our scouts discovered his body at the border of Shurima. They said the whole area had been wiped out, even the mountains."

"What could be strong enough to take out a demigod?" Shyvana said, a hint of panic piercing through her voice.

"All the victims have the same mark: a dark spot on the chest. It looks like the heart is the way to take the power out of the body."

"So, what's the plan?" Ekko asked.

"I'll look for Rakan," Xayah said.

Shyvana glanced at her "Let me come with you."

A grin stretched the Vastaya's lips until Jarvan said "I'm not sure splitting is a good idea. You saw how the enemy is acting."

"And I will not leave Rakan in their hands." Xayah's voice was as cold as death. "Besides, gathering everyone at the same place will ultimately draw attention, and when that thing comes, do you think you'll be able to stop it? I'd rather die over there than remaining with humans."

Jarvan was about to reply, but the loud slamming of the door snapped him. "What was that?" he asked instead.

"Jinx decided to visit the city," Ekko sighed.

Garen turned to the guards "Find her and lock her up. She'll blow up the entire city if we let her loose."

"Keep your guards, Garen," Fiora said. "I'll get her." Without additional words, she ran outside, followed by Xayah and Shyvana.

"Planning to run too?" Jarvan asked Ekko.

"Well… not right away. We should discuss a strategy. Whatever that thing is, it must be stopped."

Garen rubbed his eyes and sighed "You should rest for today. Tomorrow we shall gather in order to sort this out. You have my thanks, Ekko."

The young man politely nodded and drank a sip of cold tea.

 _ **NA: Here's chapter 7. Reviews are welcome ^^**_


	8. Lusting For One Last Breath

**Lusting For One Last Breath**

After a few days of walking, Diana finally reached the large open area where the Institute was built. The silence was so deep she could heart her own heart beating in her chest and each step sounded like thunder. The Institute was build like a small city where summoners and champions were allowed to stay if they wished to. Going around the main road, Diana walked the hollow streets. It looked like the population had suddenly vanished. According to what she had seen, it made sense fixing the Rift was the least of their issues at the moment. There was therefore no point in remaining here. She made her way to the yard where the champions were teleported to the Fields of Justice. The giant crystals used to broadcast the matches were destroyed and the shards covered the ground. She then went to the buildings where the champions' rooms were located. She didn't really know what she expected to find there. Perhaps one of the lone champions had decided to stay here despite the danger. After almost an hour of searching, she eventually reached the Bilgewater building. The first floor was as empty as the rest. As she climbed up the stairs, a strong stench of blood made her head spin. She sped up, wondering whose body she would find. The smell had spread around, and it took her some time to find the exact origin. In one of the corridors, she spotted a form on the ground. The floor was sticky with blood. Diana's stomach twisted when she was close enough to see who the dead body belonged to. His face frozen in an expression of pure terror and pain, Graves was barely recognizable underneath the layer of blood, the scratches and bruises. Holding back her disgust, Diana lifted his shirt and jacket, looking for the same dark mark she had seen on the Yordles. The black veins converged to a big hole in the man's chest. What was that? A voice as smooth as fresh snow startled her. It was humming a soft melody and seemed to come from everywhere at once. Diana's heartbeat skyrocketed as she immediately recognized who was there. Lamb had told her they would meet again in Demacia, so why were Kindred here?

"So we meet again," Wolf's guttural voice said with a laugh.

"So it seems," Diana turned around to look at him. His face was closer than she thought and she startled at the sight of his demonic eyes two inches from hers. His putrid breath made her sick, but she concealed her discomfort.

"I guess, you've been pretty busy," Diana said.

Wolf largely smiled. "Yes! Many hunts along with a rain of blood." He shivered at the memory of the excitement he had felt in the past weeks.

"Is it...my turn now?"

"It is not, dear child." Lamb appeared behind Wolf's fangs.

"Then why are you here?"

"Everywhere we wander," Lamb replied.

"Every path meets ours," Wolf added.

Diana wondered what she was supposed to make of this. She looked at Graves' body on the ground. "Who finished him?" she asked.

Wolf growled in pleasure and when her eyes met his, Diana could see in his look like in a crystal ball: Graves running through the corridors, and wolf chasing him.

"Who else did you meet?" she asked kindred. "Among the champions of the League."

"We've counted fifty-six so far. Do you wish us to tell you the names?"

Diana didn't reply right away. Fifty-six? How was it possible?

"Who have you found?" she hesitantly asked.

"The first ones were Thresh, Shen and Taric who were in the Rift with us."

"How could you? You were with us all the time."

"As I told you, everywhere we wander. A soul never leaves this world alone."

"More for us," Wolf said.

"Who else?" Diana curtly asked.

"Karma, Sona, Talon, Katarina, Ahri, Lucian, Zac, Warwick, Soraka, Singed, Anivia, Cho' Gath,..."

"Cho' Gath? How can something like this die?"

"We do not care about it. We are here to offer a way to the other side. The rest matters not."

"And who will take _you_ to the other side when this thing comes for you?"

Wolf let out an offended snarl and Lamb a crystalline laugh "Can you tell a child to go to their room if they are already inside it? There is no border between life and death, nor for me nor for Wolf."

"Can't you destroy whatever threatens us, since you can't die?" Diana asked.

"It's feeding us," Wolf hideously smiled "The hunger has been gone since it struck."

"We take no advantage in destroying the Winter Dancer," Lamb said.

"The what? You actually know what does this."

"We do, dear child," Lamb replied. "The Winter Dancer is an ancient spirit which comes from the Abyss of Whispers lying deep beneath the Great Sea. For thousands of years he has roamed the earth, hiding in darkness and gathering enough power to take a physical form."

"What does he want from the League of Legends? And why now?"

"All champions possess a small part of an enormous power. The Dancer seems to be in need of it. The spirit is supposed to be good. We have talked to him many times. It gains its energy from the positive emotions of the living. Happiness, relief, recognition,... He thus helped the population of Valoran countless times. Despite all the power he absorbed from his actions, he was lonely, his heart filled with so great a distress nothing could replace the empty hole in his soul. The Dancer then disappeared until the breach in the Rift. When we were called to Shen, Thresh and Taric, their bodies were floating in darkness so deep it devoured all light piercing its veil. In their eyes, we read confusion and most importantly, fear. As you may know, fear is the oldest emotion known to mankind. It thrills us, keeps hunger away. Around them was floating the old scent of the Winter Dancer's magic. He then came to us, explaining that despite all he did for the people of Valoran, taking his power from positive emotions was not enough for him to take a physical form. Do you know why?"

Diana thought for a minute before answering "Because all positive emotions are bound to a negative and stronger one meant to take over."

"Exactly. Such is the destiny of the living."

"What about Thresh? I wouldn't say he's part of the living."

"His fear was the most refreshing," Wolf said with content.

"One only truly dies when the last memory of them has been entirely erased from this world."

Although she did not agree with this, Diana didn't prolong the debate. "What is this power you mentioned before?" she asked instead. "You claim all the champions possess a part of it. What will happen when the power is whole?'

"What you have inside you contains all the magic necessary to keep you alive during a match, and I mean actually 'alive'. Should all this power belong to someone, they would be able to call magic forces beyond everything you know."

"Where does it come from originally?"

"Its first and only owner is a Shaman called every time a new champion joins in. It is the Shaman's duty to transfer a small part of their power to the new champions."

"It cannot be taken back," Wolf added, spinning around Lamb and wrapping her in his black fangs.

"To answer your next question, the Shaman _owns_ the power and is able to transfer, but does not know how to use it properly. The Dancer, however, seems to know exactly what he's doing."

"What could his purpose be? Dominate the whole world?" Diana sarcastically asked.

"I think not, for it is not in his nature to have evil intentions."

"Excuse-me?" Diana curtly said. "You know how many..."

"How many times have you thought your way was the right way to achieve your objective even though it was not?"

"This is not on the same scale. I've never killed innocents just to gain power."

Wolf looked at her and chuckled "That is not what the Solari in the temple told us."

Diana sighed and ignored him. She kept quiet for a long moment, thinking about the possible options.

"Did he tell you why he wants a physical form?"

"No, but I believe it has been his purpose since the beginning of his existence."

"Can you tell me when you'll come for me?"

"Tomorrow is a hope, never a promise," Lamb replied.

Trying to hide from the Dancer was useless if she was unable to know when he'd come for her. The only other option was find a way to destroy him. She was sure most of the champions were aware of the situation and had started taking action, either in hiding or in organizing their defenses. The closest place she could go to was Mount Targon with Pantheon and Leona. She was more than disgusted at the idea of having to work with the Solari. Maybe the Dancer would find her soon. She walked past Lamb and Wolf to get out of the building.

"Until we meet again, Scorn of the Moon," Lamb said. "Soon, we shall be called out."

Xayah was walking as fast as she could. She had to reach Ionia as soon as possible. They had to walk all the way from Demacia to the Eastern coast, then take a boat to the Ionian shore. For the hundredth time Shyvana called her out, telling her to slow down, for it would only exhaust them and reduce the amount time they would be able to walk the next days. Xayah perfectly knew she was right, that hurrying up would allow them to gain a day at most. Nevertheless, she needed to feel she was actually doing something to help Rakan. She could not picture him keeping still, waiting for her. He was more likely to dive headfirst into the heart of the scourge which was roaming the country. She had told Shyvana about the place where they were to meet if they happened to part. At the end of the day, her legs were hurting, but she kept moving through the forest, refusing to give into the guilt sleep would surely bestow upon her. Shyvana kept up the pace and stopped when, a bit before dawn, the Vastaya's legs could carry her no more. Xayah sat down, resting her back against a tree. She wrapped her arms around her knees and hid her face. Shyvana stared at her for a moment before making a fire. Since they hadn't brought any food, she would have to hunt. She quickly spotted a small group of deer resting in a clearing. She managed to get closer and cast a fireball in her hand. She gritted her teeth as a sharp pain ran through her arm. The fireball hit one of the deer in the face, instantly killing it. The Half-Dragon brought it back to the camp. A glance at Xayah taught her she had fallen asleep. She skinned the animal and while the meat was cooking, she looked up to the sky. The stars were visible on that night, illuminating twisted patterns across the canopy of heaven. It would take them at least a week to reach the island. What would happen during that time? How many other champions would fall? The League of Legends had always been surrounded by unbreakable secrets, some of which were said to be able to lead to the destruction of the world. Perhaps this was only the beginning.

A sound drew her attention to Xayah. Her shoulders were quickly rising and falling and her breath was irregular. She was crying. While they were waiting there, Rakan was left alone, or already dead. This mere idea angered Xayah enough to make her hate herself. She should be on the move at the moment, not napping in the forest. She knew Shyvana was watching her, but couldn't care less. Tonight she was lonelier than ever, with only her own shame to keep her company. Shyvana decided not step in until Xayah has calmed down. When the meat was cooked, she cut a piece for herself, sure the Vastaya would help herself when ready. She sat on a broken trunk and let her gaze roam over the trees. They were in the forest spreading from Demacia. The rest of the journey would be plains and mountains. Finding a boat to Ionia would not take long. After several minutes, her head became heavy and she started falling asleep. She woke up in a startle when someone walked past her.

"It's only me," Xayah said.

"You should sleep," Shyvana said.

"I can't. I'm just..."

"Thinking too much?"

"What if he thinks I'm dead? What if he's left Ionia to find me?" Xayah let out a deep sigh.

"Look," Shyvana replied, "there are only two possibilities: either he's alive, or he's not. The rest doesn't matter for now. Forgive me for being this blunt, but you can't waste your time and energy picturing scenarios which are not likely to happen. Just focus on getting to your meeting place and we'll see what we can do once we are there."

Xayah seemed about to retort something, but stopped and lowered her gaze to her feet.

"You're right," she said. "It's easier said than done, though."

Shyvana was stunned by the change in her behavior. Xayah was usually a very confident and stubborn person who always seemed to know what to do next. At the moment, however, she was the opposite: hesitant, confused and lost. As though she had read her thoughts, Xayah said "I must look pathetic."

"Not really. You almost look….human," the Half-Dragon sarcastically said.

"At least I can't fall any lower," Xayah shrugged.

They rested for two more hours before leaving. Xayah seemed to be a bit more reasonable and they stopped walking shortly after nightfall. Despite the dark rings under her eyes, she kept walking further every day, and Shyvana wondered if it was her love for Rakan which was feeding her strengths. They eventually reached the coast. There were several harbors, and they decided to remain unnoticed and avoid the public boats. Ionia was a day away from the shore. Xayah eventually spotted a fisherman on the beach. He was standing next to a wooden boat large enough to carry five to six people. Xayah walked to the middle-aged man.

"Good morning, sir."

He looked at her for a good minute before smiling. "Good morning, ladies. What can I do for you?"

"We are looking for a safe passage to Ionia. Can you help us?"

"Sure I can. For a price, of course. I'd be wasting two days of work."

They obviously had no money to pay, but Xayah knew how to convince him.

"Why are you working here, far from the main harbor? There aren't many fish around here."

The fisherman mumbled something before clearing his throat "I'd rather stay away from there, and from all...humans in general."

Shyvana hadn't noticed it at first because of the man's shirt, but she could now see the shape of a crest running along his spine. He was a Vastaya too.

"I've been persecuted all my life for being a Vastaya. You should not be ashamed of it. You can stop hiding and join us. My clan leads a fight in Ionia. We could use your help."

"You're saying this because you need my boat. Don't take me for a fool. There is no hope for us to be accepted by the human race. All the Vastaya I have seen are shutting themselves away from this world. They live and die alone. So will I."

"I know you're afraid," Xayah said, "but I swear there is a life waiting for you in the South of Ionia."

She was getting impatient: they needed that boat now, and this man's help to her cause would surely be useful. She had no time to argue any longer, though. "Please, sir. I'm begging you. I have to go find someone in Ionia, and I have no time to waste now. If you come with us, I'll explain everything to you."

"I...I don't know," he said.

Shyvana decided to step it "Look, what have you got to lose? You're already an outcast. This is your chance to be part of a community. You can either die alone here, or be useful and work for the Vastayan cause."

The fisherman blinked a few time, as though it was the first time someone talked to him this way.

"I will take you to Ionia," he eventually said after a silence. "And I will consider joining you, but you'll owe me some explanation on the way."

"It's not like we have anything else to do on your boat," Xayah said. "It will be my pleasure."

The fisherman, whose name was Hendil, packed his belongings and, with the help of Shyvana and Xayah, pushed his boat on the water. When they were far enough from the coast, he hoist the small sail in order to let the wind carry them Eastward. Xayah remained next to Hendil, first speaking about her past and why she had decided to change not only her own fate, but that of all the Vastaya. The fisherman was quietly listening to her, absorbed in her words, unable to conceal the compassion glimmering in his eyes. For hours they sailed the calm sea. Shyvana had no idea how Hendil could find his way. Eventually, she saw the land and the shores of the Ionian coast.

"I will not take you to the harbor," Hendil said, receiving a nod of approval from Xayah. "We will berth a bit further South, where no one will see us. I want to make sure my boat remains hidden from anyone while I'm going to your clan."

A smile stretched Xayah's lips and Shyvana understood the fisherman had accepted her offer. The Ionian shores were quiet and the green vegetation was impressive to any outsider.

"We can walk together for a moment," Xayah said after Hendil finished covering his boat with giant dead leaves. "Our ways will then part, but I will explain to you how to reach my clan."

Gratefulness glimmered in his eyes. He would finally have a place where nobody would look down on him.

Xayah led them through luxuriant forests and plains. The whole island was subject to a powerful magic. Even Shyvana could feel it flow underneath her feet, running like veins deep within the earth. Xayah seemed to know her way, as she confidently walked in the lead for a few hours. She suddenly stopped and faced Hendil. "This is the moment where we go our own way. Do not fret. My clan will welcome you with open arms."

"How will they know I am no threat?" Hendil said with a slightly shaky voice.

Xayah handed him one of her daggers. "If you take this to the clan and speak the words 'A Vastayan feather is a kingly gift'. They will know I gave it to you."

She stretched her arm, and Hendil shook it with both hands. He then did the same with Shyvana.

"Thank you. I owe you so much."

"Go in peace," Xayah smiled. "You are safe, now. No humans come here."


End file.
